Abstract
Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is related to psychological distress and interference in daily activities; however, CPP is not as extensively researched as other forms of chronic pain. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among pain, psychological distress, and functional impairment in patients with CPP. There were chart reviews conducted of 107 female patients who completed a psychiatric evaluation at a specialty, CPP clinic as a part of a multidisciplinary evaluation. Results suggest that psychological distress and impairment in daily activities are common in CPP patients. Most areas of functional impairment were not associated with pain variables. Rather, several forms of functional impairment were related to higher levels of depression and anxiety. Results from this study suggest the possibility that psychiatric symptoms are contributing to functional impairment in this population. These findings highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the evaluation and treatment of CPP patients to help decrease functional impairment in these patients.
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Compliance with ethical standards
This study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and has therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. Informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board due to the nature of data collection through chart review.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Miller-Matero, L.R., Saulino, C., Clark, S. et al. When treating the pain is not enough: a multidisciplinary approach for chronic pelvic pain. Arch Womens Ment Health 19, 349–354 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-015-0537-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-015-0537-9